Summary: How to setup a SLES 11 Installation Server.
Date: Around 2012
Refactor: 16 April 2025: Checked links and formatting.

The installed SLES 11 is installed through this installation report

Although there is already an article on the Suse Installation Update Server, I created this article especially for 11 (64 bit). This article will be less extensive and will only cover installation and update services for SLES 11, while the original article explains the installation for openSuse, SLES 10, updating them, and combining multiple installation and update services.

Before you can start the installation and configuration you'll need storage for the installation and update files. I created a 50 GB disk and created a ext3 filesystem (without updating access time) which will be mounted on /var/data.

When the filesystem is mounted create two directories which will serve as the install and update root:

/var/data # ls -l
total 24
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root  4096 Aug  6 12:15 install
drwx------ 2 root root 16384 Aug  6 11:54 lost+found
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root  4096 Aug  6 11:55 updates

The first step required is to actually install the installation service. That is done in yast, so start yast, go to the Miscellaneous area and click on 'Installation Server'. Now you have to configure the installation server. Also note, during the process the installation will check if all required packages are installed. This will generate, if needed, an extra popup allowing you to install the required packages:

These are screenshots regarding the installation wizard:

Choose HTTP as the repository option:

Set an easy alias for the repository. It will be accessible with this name instead of the directory name:

You're done now with the installation service. The next time you'll click on 'Installation Server' you can add repositories.

Top add a repository to install clients from go again into yast to the 'Installation Server'. Start the wizard by clicking on it:

Give a distinctive name for the repository:

Select the source for the repository. I used the installation DVDs:

It will ask you to insert the CD/DVD. When done click 'Continue':

It will start copying the content:

After a while it will ask for the second CD/DVD. This process will continue for all installation media. You can always stop adding extra CDs/DVDs by clicking 'Cancel'.

When all content is copies you'll have an installation repository:

On the file system you now have the content of the DVDs:

/var/data/install/sles11sp1 # ls *

CD1:
ARCHIVES.gz   INDEX.gz     content.key                       gpg-pubkey-307e3d54-4be01a65.asc  license.tar.gz
COPYING       NEWS         control.xml                       gpg-pubkey-3d25d3d9-36e12d04.asc  ls-lR.gz
COPYING.de    README       directory.yast                    gpg-pubkey-7e2e3b05-4be037ca.asc  media.1
COPYRIGHT     boot         docu                              gpg-pubkey-9c800aca-4be01999.asc  pubring.gpg
COPYRIGHT.de  content      gpg-pubkey-0dfb3188-41ed929b.asc  gpg-pubkey-a1912208-446a0899.asc  suse
ChangeLog     content.asc  gpg-pubkey-1d061a62-4bd70bfa.asc  gpg-pubkey-b37b98a9-4be01a1a.asc

CD2:
content  content.asc  directory.yast  media.2  suse

/var/data/install/sles11sp1 # du -hs
7.3G    .

To see the webserver start a browser and point it to your installation server (http://install.5p-it.com/install/sles11sp1/):

To configure the update component of the server you'll need yup (YUM Update Proxy). The minimum version required is yup-232-9.1, the latest version can be downloaded here. Installation can be done like this:

rpm -vi yup-232-9.1.noarch.rpm

If you have an old version installed it can be removed using the command:

rpm -e yup-232-2.2

After installing yup you'll need to edit the config file: /etc/sysconfig/yup:

/etc/sysconfig # cat yup | grep ^[A-Z]
YUP_DEST_DIR="/var/data/updates/"
YUP_ID="xxxxxx"
YUP_PASS="xxxxxxxxxx"
YUP_SERVER="nu.novell.com"
YUP_ARCH="i586 x86_64"
YUP_PRODUCTS="SLES11"
YUP_SUBVERSIONS="GA SP1"
YUP_SP_SUBCHANS=""

• YUP_ID=Use the username of the mirror credentials
• YUP_PASS=Use the password of the mirror credentials
• Yup default is to make a mirror for Online as well as for Updates. These are defined like this:
  • Online: the patches to go from SP(N-1) to SP(N)
  • Updates: the patches for SP(N)

You could change this by editing the next line in the same config file:

• YUP_SP_SUBCHANS=“”

Now just run yup and it will fetch your updates.

Now you have updates you'll also have to make sure clients can download them. That's done using apache, offering them as a web service. To configure apache, go to /etc/apache2/ and edit default-server.conf. Go to the alias section and add these lines:

# httpd configuration for SLES Update Server

Alias /updates/ "/var/data/updates/"

<Directory "/var/data/updates/">

        Options +Indexes +FollowSymLinks
        IndexOptions +NameWidth=*

        Order allow,deny
        Allow from all

</Directory>

Restart apache using /etc/init.d/apache2 restart and go to http://install.5p-it.com/updates/. If correct you'll see the updates index:

Boot the systeem using one of these choices:

• DVD
• CD1
• Opensuse network cd (You'll receive a couple of notices concerning your repository. You can ignore these.)

Use installation options in the initial boot screen, and use this URL for installing over HTTP: install=http://install.5p-it.com/install/sles11sp1/CD1/

Required options:

• noapic
• nolapic
• nosmp
• clock=pit

Optional options for a graphical installation:

• vnc=1
• vncpassword=12345678 (minimal 8 characters)

Optional options in case you don't have DHCP:

• hostip=10.x.x.x
• netmask=255.255.0.0
• gateway=10.x.x.x
• nameserver=10.x.x.x

Example:

• install=install=http://install.5p-it.com/install/sles11sp1/CD1/ noapic nolapic nosmp clock=pit vnc=1 vncpassword=12345678

In case you've chosen to use the vnc options you'll see a textbased environment with IP-address information to connect your vnc viewer to.

In case you did not use the vnc options you'll start within a textbased environment. Eventually you'll get to a GUI installation, if your graphics card is supported in this stage of the process.

Perform the installation as stated here: SLES 11.

Go to yast → 'Software' → 'Software Repositories' and click on 'add'. If you choose http you can enter the following settings for SLES 11 SP1 updates for a 64bit system:

server = <ip-address or hostname>
directory = /updates/SLES11-SP1-Pool/sle-11-x86_64/

Afterwards you have to disable the NCC registration. You won't need it anymore.